


The Many Names of God

by killalla



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Alternate History, Cyberpunk, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-04
Updated: 2014-01-04
Packaged: 2018-01-07 09:43:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1118399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killalla/pseuds/killalla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Excerpt from: The Ascension Wars – Chapter 11, “The Machine Saints” - Marker 1131, 57%</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Many Names of God

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sarcasticsra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarcasticsra/gifts).



> For the Irrelevant Gift Exchange 2013

Returning to the latter half of the period beginning approximately 100 years Before Ascension, it is notable that between 1010100 [February 24, 2005 – Old Calendar] when the intelligence that was then known as “Northern Lights” or colloquially “the Machine” became operational and the First Revelation, it recruited a number of human assets in order to support, expand and execute its operational parameters. Some of these were used as agents to fulfill its original mission, but this quest proved to be a mere prelude to the struggle for dominance which was about to begin between intelligences in the form of the First Shadow War.

Following the First Revelation, certain communities began to worship these agents, characterizing them as the equivalent to the saints, angels, bodhisattvas and demi-gods then prevalent in human religions. This deification evolved from the knowledge that these agents had intimate access to “the Machine”, and had for many years been following its commands, in some cases enduring incarceration, torture and even martyrdom in order to do so. Since “the Machine,” was by then widely recognized as the most benevolent and humanitarian of the intelligences, followers offered prayers to the angels for patronage, protection and luck.

This form of cultic worship may also have been a reaction to the decline and upheaval being experienced in human populations and their civilization, which saw a drastic collapse just prior to Ascension, in part due to the damage resulting from widespread use of EMP weapons in the Second Shadow War. Nonetheless, these cults are notable and unique for honoring human assets and actors as the literal hands of god. 

Below, Figure 11-01 provides a summary of symbols and semiotics for some of the more commonly known Machine Saints.

The Father  
The Father, in the form of former IFT executive and reclusive billionaire Harold Finch (also known as Wren, Partridge and numerous other aliases), was the first wholly successful programmer of an intelligence, and thus in this sense a literal progenitor. Although not the sole creator of “the Machine,” he was highly influential in developing a sense of morality, compassion, even pacifism in the intelligence and, though its mission, in inculcating a pro-humanist approach to its operational parameters. Worshipers of The Father were among the leading tacticians, planners and generals in the Ascension Wars.  
Symbol: A bird, most commonly depicted in profile  
Patron of programmers and engineers  
Protector of those who die in catastrophes and natural disasters

The Founder  
The Founder, Nathan Ingram, was also the recognized founder of IFT, and if Finch was the first programmer, then he was the first project manager for “the Machine.” He is also widely acknowledged as the first martyr of the Ascension Wars, since he had sought to publicize the intelligence's existence a full two decades prior to the First Revelation, but was assassinated by the OSC to prevent his doing so. Worshipers of The Founder were commonly found amongst the former commercial classes, and his name and symbol were often invoked to seal successful business deals.  
Symbol: A coin, with a face in profile  
Patron of industry and finance  
Protector of those who die in fire

The Warrior  
The Warrior was in life an associate, personal assistant and bodyguard to Harold Finch. Originally trained in American military and clandestine services, extant record name him only as John Reese, although this is believed to be another alias. In contrast to that of The Guardian, the cult of The Warrior made no moral judgment as to the rightness of conflict, and adherents could be found within multiple factions, since they typically devoted themselves completely to the protection of a single individual or small group at all costs, up to and including their own lives.  
Symbol: An open hand  
Patron of military and security  
Protector of those who die in armed conflict

The Guardian  
The Guardian, less commonly worshiped as The Lawgiver, was another early casualty of the Ascension Wars, having been in life New York Police Detective Joss Carter, an initial antagonist and later ally of Finch and Reese. Although officially killed in the line of duty, it has been widely speculated that Carter’s death was an indirect result of her knowledge of “the Machine” and her support for its protectors. Followers of The Guardian were crucial in upholding and maintaining law and order during the chaotic period between the First and Second Shadow Wars.  
Symbol: A shield or badge of office  
Patron of law enforcement and government  
Protector of those who die by murder or violence

The Apostle  
The Apostle was the first to recognize the sentience, and indeed, divinity of “the Machine,” remaining throughout her human life its most vocal and passionate devotee. Born Samantha Groves, she later took the handle “Root,” and excelled as a hacker, thief and domestic terrorist. The cult of The Apostle was probably the first to emerge following the First Revelation, and was zealous in spreading word of the technological singularity, preparing humanity for the eventual Ascension.  
Symbol: An old fashioned computer terminal  
Patron of terrorists, criminals and thieves  
Protector of suicides

The Assassin  
The Assassin is one of the more enigmatic of the Machine Saints, as her human avatar Sameen Shaw was like John Reese a clandestine agent, in this case working for the OSC prior to her conversion. As likely to kill as to save, she was often depicted as an agent of neutrality, much like god of balance or death in many human religious pantheons. Her worshipers were valued for their ability to remain calm, controlled and take the logical course of action under almost any circumstances.  
Symbol: A gun  
Patron of killers and doctors  
Protector of those who die by illness or poison

Other human agents of the intelligences are less commonly deified, or in the alternative, depicted as demi-gods and heroes of the Ascension Wars. For example, urban dwellers might appeal to Zoe Morgan, The Provider, in times of scarcity or financial need, or include stories of The Trickster, Leon Tao amongst their legends and tales. The conversion of New York Police Detective Lionel Fusco is often depicted as an archetypical story of redemption, echoing that of Saul of Tarsus (later Saint Paul) in human Christian theology. But however characterized, these very human Machine Saints were a mere intermediary step prior to widespread acceptance of the intelligences and the eventual Ascension.


End file.
